As far as we know, the ranking of incoming collegiate field hockey classes has never been done before. We have been working up to this and finally believe the time is now! We are solely ranking the domestic players because they are the ones we have been following, know well, and have ranked in our Player Rankings. It is just too difficult to include the internationals at this time. Maybe in the future.
Of course once we got into this project and started looking at all the different angles, we questioned our ability to rank the top 10 incoming classes in order, so we started out by just narrowing it down to our Top 10 programs, which is what you will find below. We selected these from our 2017 Player Rankings. Programs that brought in multiple ranked players, especially those with Top 10 and Top 50 players, moved to the top of the list. Some that just missed the top 10 cut (UVA, UConn, Penn, Liberty, Rutgers, Cal) have 3 or 4 ranked players and could have very well been included but we had to draw the line somewhere and make our picks.
Then we had to decide what it means to be the top incoming class. Is it which group will make the most immediate impact vs. which will make the greatest impact over their four years with the program? Five different conferences are represented by the 10 schools we selected- ACC, Big 10, Ivy League, America East, and Patriot League. It is more difficult to make an immediate impact in a conference like the ACC or Big 10. How does that weigh on this decision and how you define “impact”? And we could keep going with this- positionally, needs of a program, etc.
At the end of the day, this is all opinion and we are simply thinking about it like this– If you were a college coach, which group of players would you pick to be your incoming class?
We have in fact just asked this question to the current college coaches via an email survey and will be reporting back later this week or early next week with the results! College coaches- if you didn’t receive our email and want to participate- email us: [email protected]
We have also included a poll below for you to chime in. Let us know what you think!
MAX Field Hockey’s Top 10 Incoming Classes (in alphabetical order)
Note: We have included grey shirts (players who graduated early and began college this past spring)

BOSTON COLLEGE

Cassidy Atchison
TOP 50
Frank W. Cox
Saints

Madalyn Dorn
Next 50
Emmaus
Firestyx

Fusine Govaert
Top 50
Rye

Caroline McGovern
TOP 50
Council Rock South
Princeton FHC

Jaime Natale
TOP 50
Merion-Mercy
WC Eagles

Elizabeth Warner
Next 50
Newton CDS
Boston FHC

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Miya Denison
TOP 50
Tabb
Focus

Paige Mautner
Greenwich
AGH

Maggie New
Next 50
Maury
TCOYO

Alexis Pettisani
TOP 50
Eastern Regional
Uprise

Kathryn Scheerer
Next 50
Downington East
WC Eagles

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Lexi Davidson
TOP 50
North Andover
Xcalibur

Lily Posternak
TOP 10
York
Boston

Lydia Smeltz
Central Dauphin
Nook Hockey

Libby Thompson
TOP 50
Lake Forest
Windy City

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE

Elizabeth Allgeier
TOP 50
Assumption
IFHCK

Allison Bitting
TOP 50
Lower Dauphin
PA Mavericks

AnnMarie Habelow
TOP 50
Belmont
Boston FHC

Sarah Sabaluski
Lake-Lehman
Xcalibur

Meghan Schneider
TOP 10
Serra
RUSH

Jillian Shive
TOP 50
Ursuline Academy
FH Life

Annie Mulford
Next 50
Edwardsville
AIM

Madison Walsh
Next 50
Whitfield School
AIM

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Mayv Clune
TOP 10
Moravian Academy
WC Eagles

Brooke Deberdine
TOP 10
Penn Manor
Nook Hockey

Kyler Greenwalt
TOP 50
Archbishop Spalding
Freedom HKY

Hannah Menges
TOP 50
Twin Valley
Xcalibur

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Kate Burney
Denver East
Denver FHC

Maya Gompper
Next 50
Pioneer
Pinnacle

Abigail Hutton
Next 50
Skyline
Pinnacle

Sidonie LaPlante
Next 50
Middletown Area
PA Mavericks

Kragen Metz
Canyon Crest Academy
Coastal Clash

Halle O’Neill
Top 50
Lower Dauphin
PA Mavericks

Emma Tamer
Top 50
Dexter
Pinnacle

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA

Bryn Boylan
TOP 50
Central Bucks West
FSC

Julia Herrington
Next 50
Ocean City
Spirit of USA

Megan Ragusa
Ravenscroft
Carolina All Stars

Meredith Sholder
TOP 10
Emmaus
Firestyx

Cassie Sumfest
TOP 10
Lewisburg Area
WC Eagles

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Christen Conley
TOP 50
OPRF
Windy City

Mackenzie Keegan
TOP 50
Eastern Regional
Uprise

Sabrina Solomen
Next 50
Shawnee
Princeton FHC

Whitney Williamson
Next 50
MICDS
AIM

Kaitlin Wood
TOP 50
The Rivers School
Xcalibur

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Grace Brightbill
TOP 50
G-town Visitation Prep
Washington Wolves

Margaret Lynch
TOP 50
Mount Saint Joseph
Mystx

Mary Kate Neff
TOP 10
Academy of Notre Dame
WC Eagles

Julianna Tornetta
TOP 10
Agnes Irwin School
Princeton FHC

STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Sarah Johnson
TOP 50
Oxford Area
WC Eagles

Kaylie Mings
Top 50
The Kinkaid School
Texas Pride

Hannah Schofield
Next 50
Moorpark
Hollywood

Emily Surgent
TOP 50
Wall
Jersey Intensity

Corinne Zanolli
TOP 10
Episcopal Academy
WC Eagles
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!
[poll id=”5″]